New York Times on Tuesday reported that a new intelligence reviewed by US officials suggests that a pro-Ukrainian group carried out the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022.
The Times’ unnamed sources said they “believed the saboteurs were most likely Ukrainian or Russian nationals, or some combination of the two” and that “no American or British nationals were involved.”
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They further said they had no evidence Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky or his “top lieutenants” were involved, or that the “any Ukrainian government officials” directed the attack.
They also said US President Joe Biden and his top aides “did not authorize” the attack on Nord Stream and that “there was no US involvement” in the blasts.
The anonymous officials could not say who directed or paid for the “operation,” and said it was possible the attack “might have been conducted off the books by a proxy force with connections to the Ukrainian government or its security services.”
The attacks on the pipelines fuelled speculation on both sides of the Atlantic over who was responsible, with Russian officials in particular accusing a host of Western powers of being behind the incident.
The bombs that tore apart three of four pipeline strings at the bottom of the Baltic Sea were “most likely” planted by experienced divers, “who did not appear to be working for military or intelligence services,” but may have received “specialized government training in the past,” the anonymous officials claimed.
In March, an investigative journalist Seymour Hersh accused the US of ordering the bombing and planting the explosives, the NYT times report with its anonymous source appear to be addressing the questions raised by Seymour Hersh.
Nnamdi Maduakor is a Writer, Investor and Entrepreneur
